Deviled eggs are a fun, flavorful way to use up leftover hard-boiled eggs — and are a great excuse for a party. Dress them up with caviar, uni or smoked fish or sprinkle them with fresh herbs or everything spice mix. However you flavor and garnish them, they’ll quickly disappear.
Passover and Easter are two holidays that use a substantial quantity of eggs and often leave you with an abundance of them once the festivities have ended. What to do with all of those leftover eggs? Devil them, of course!
As columnist Jenn Harris suggests in her story featuring 12 recipes for deviled eggs, “Just think of the deviled egg as a perfectly composed dish: bite-sized flavor bombs that offer a study in both texture and balance.†Harris also notes that “modern iterations of the dish have come a long way from those made in the 1940s, which mostly consisted of mayonnaise, paprika and mustard.â€
While delicious in its own right, the basic deviled egg is easily embellished. The starting point is always the same: well-made hard boiled eggs. If you don’t have a standard way of doing this, give former Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter’s approach a whirl. It is straightforward and leaves plenty of room for time flexibility and none for that greenish halo that can come from overcooking the eggs.
As for the mayonnaise, you can easily take it up a notch from store-bought and make your own. Try Ben Mims’ Blender Mayonnaise or Amy Scattergood’s Immersion Blender Mayonnaise for easier methods than the classic whisk-your-wrist-to-exhaustion approach. Both techniques are so simple that you may never buy mayonnaise again.
Once you have the key components in place, it’s time to decide how to dress up your little devils.
Deviled Eggs With California White Sturgeon Caviar
Sustainably raised California white sturgeon caviar is extremely high quality. Serve it in a way that will show off the quality, such as using it as a topping for deviled eggs.
Time 40 minutes
Yields Makes 12 deviled eggs
Thomas Keller uses white sturgeon caviar to dress up his deviled eggs, which are also a terrific backdrop for their beautiful color. Sustainably raised in the Sacramento river, this caviar is less expensive than that from the Caspian Sea and, even in Southern California, still qualifies as locally produced. Under the caviar is a classic deviled egg — delicious straight up if you’re a deviled egg purist.
Deviled eggs with uni
Chef Jason Fullilove spikes his deviled eggs with yuzu-kosho, then tops them with uni.
Time 40 minutes
Yields Makes 24 deviled eggs
For a wow of a deviled egg, chef Jason Fullilove spikes his yokes with yuzu-kosho — a fermented Japanese condiment made from the zest and juice of the extremely tart yuzu and fresh chiles — before topping them with luscious, fresh uni.
Deviled eggs with Champagne vinegar
Chef April Bloomfield incorporates a splash of Champagne vinegar into her deviled eggs, which use crème fraîche in place of mayonnaise and are garnished with chives, chervil and flaky sea salt.
Champagne vinegar, crème fraîche and fresh herbs dress up chef April Bloomfield’s deviled eggs. For some crunch, garnish them with flaky sea salt such as fleur de sel or Maldon.
Everything spice deviled eggs
Deviled eggs are bite-sized flavor bombs that offer a study in both texture and balance. The sprinkle of everything bagel spice that garnishes these ties all the flavors together.
Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yields Makes 24 deviled eggs
Chef Daniel Patterson of Alta restaurant in San Francisco also incorporates Champagne vinegar into his deviled eggs and he mixes chives and chervil in with the yolks. The everything spice garnish, a concept borrowed from bagels but modified here, brings all of the flavors together.
Deviled eggs with smoked salmon, fennel and capers
While also a good source of protein, iron and vitamins A and D, a deviled egg—or just half a deviled egg is a wonderful treat, well worth the splurge.
Time 35 minutes
Yields Serves 8
Reminiscent of Sunday brunch at a Jewish deli, Abby Mandel’s deviled eggs are sort of like a gluten-free solution to bagels and lox. Garnish them with some of Daniel Patterson’s everything spice and you might not miss the bagel.
